1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing, and more particularly to a method and system for computerized high-rate image processing.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years, computerized data acquisition for imaging has become a state-of-the-art technique in a wide variety of applications. Imaging is being used, for example, to automatically detect manufacturing faults, to convert typed and hand-written text into a digital format, and to examine the spread of electrical excitation in biological tissues.
Conventional techniques have been developed with frame rates comparable to those associated with broadcast video (60 non-interlaced frames/sec). In these systems, a camera having an array of pixels images an entire field of view which includes at least one region of interest within the field. The entire image is then transferred to a computer for processing as an array of pixels defining a frame. In the computer, the frame sequences are processed using software to analyze the regions of interest. In many applications, the desired analysis may be a quantity such as a time signature of the sum of intensities from a number of pixels in each region of interest. However, because the entire image frame is transferred to the computer for processing, data handling and transfer limits the obtainable frame rate.
To extend the frame rate, specialized systems have been developed having frame rates up to approximately 1,000 frames/sec. These systems store up to several thousand images in large banks of solid state memory for off-line play-back, processing, and analysis. Hence, the memory requirements cause these systems to be expensive (often costing in excess of US$100,000) and limited in spatial resolution. Further, these systems do not process data in xe2x80x9creal timexe2x80x9d.
Other specialized systems have been developed with frame rates up to 1 million frames/sec. However, these systems require several cameras (generally, two to ten cameras) in which each stores a single image in xe2x80x9cflashxe2x80x9d memory with no online processing. Hence, these systems are generally not suitable because they can only process a few images (generally, two to ten) at a time.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method and system for computerized high-rate imaging that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing system and method which can operate at high-rates.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing system and method which is easily and economically manufactured.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the method for image processing comprises the steps of receiving electromagnetic radiation on first and second detecting elements; producing first and second electrical detection signals from the first and second detecting elements, respectively, each of the electrical detection signals corresponding to an amount of electromagnetic radiation received on a corresponding one of the detecting elements; and summing the first and second electrical detection signals to produce an output signal.
In another aspect, the system for image processing comprises first and second detecting elements for receiving electromagnetic radiation; means for producing first and second electrical detection signals from the first and second detecting elements, respectively, each of the electrical detection signals corresponding to an amount of electromagnetic radiation received on a corresponding one of the detecting elements; and means for summing the first and second electrical detection signals to produce an output signal.
In another aspect, the system for image processing comprises a first detecting element responsive to a first amount of incident electromagnetic radiation thereon to produce a first electrical detection signal corresponding to the first amount of incident electromagnetic radiation; a second detecting element responsive to a second amount of incident electromagnetic radiation thereon to produce a second electrical detection signal corresponding to the second amount of electromagnetic radiation; comparator circuitry coupled to the first and second detecting elements, the comparator circuitry determining if each of the first and second detecting elements are assigned to a selected region of interest; and summing circuitry coupled to the first and second detecting elements, wherein if both the first and second detecting elements are assigned to the selected region of interest, the comparator enables the first and second electrical detection signals to be received and analog added by the summing circuitry to produce an output signal.
In another aspect, the system for image processing comprises an array of detecting elements having a subset of detection elements corresponding to a region of interest, each detecting element in the array responsive to incident electromagnetic radiation to produce a respective electrical detection signal corresponding to an amount of electromagnetic radiation incident thereon; and pre-processor circuitry coupled to the array of detecting elements wherein the electrical detection signals from the subset of detecting elements corresponding to the region of interest are analog added to produce an output signal.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.